Offshore wind alliance urges part of 'Morstead' settlement funds be steered to industry, workforce and supply chain

Paulina O'Connor, executive director of the New Jersey Offshore Wind Alliance, told the Board of Public Utilities the state should dedicate a meaningful portion of settlement funds from "Morstead"—stated in her remarks as 125,000,000—to offshore wind initiatives.

O'Connor said federal and market challenges have slowed projects along the East Coast but that successful projects from Virginia to Massachusetts show the industry can bring significant power to the grid. She argued the settlement could help grow a domestic supply chain, attract U.S. manufacturing, and fund workforce training, fellowships, public education and other state-led efforts tied to offshore wind development.

O'Connor said battery storage programs are important but "do not yield the same economic return on investment" as investments in offshore wind. She asked the board and state agencies, including the NJEDA Wind Institute and BPU staff, to consider directing settlement funds to programs that would boost supply-chain development and workforce capacity. O'Connor said she submitted longer comments to the docket and offered to collaborate with the state on fund allocation.

The transcript records O'Connor's recommendation and an asserted settlement amount; it does not record a board decision or a staff response committing funds or setting a reallocation timeline.